1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a solderless electrical circuit conductor, and more particularly, to a conductor of the type having a compliant section adapted for insertion in a plated-through hole in a circuit board.
In addition, the present invention relates to board mountable electrical connector assemblies having the foregoing compliant terminals fitted therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the advent of semi-conductor technology, printed circuit board arrangements have become increasingly relied upon for providing both structural support and electrical interconnection for circuit devices of various types. Particularly with miniaturization of circuit devices, printed circuit boards have become widely used in diverse machinery and equipment applications. Typical circuit board construction includes a relatively rigid substrate composed of an electrically non-conductive, dielectric material and having a usual thickness on the order of one-eight inch. One or both sides of the board may have an array of electrically conductive circuit paths defined thereon to provide for the interconnection of circuit devices which have been assembled to the board. It is common practice to terminate the circuit paths in an annular configuration, circumscribing apertures formed through the board for receiving individual leads of the circuit devices. The leads are then soldered to the circuitry on the board.
For economy of manufacturer and maintenance, modularization has become a popular concept in the design of electrical and electronic systems. Accordingly, it is expedient in some applications to provide for interconnection means such that individual circuit boards consisting of modular electronic subassemblies may be interconnected in any desired network system. To this end, pin terminals may be utilized as an effective interconnection means for terminating the electrically conductive paths of a printed circuit board by insertion into apertures formed in the board. Known terminals of this type are of diverse configurations. For example, the terminal disclosed in Narozny, U.S. Pat. No. 2,811,702 issued Oct. 29, 1957 is of a type which is staked within a board aperture and then wave soldered to the circuit path.
In another configuration, the board is adapted with eyelets or so called "plated-through" holes to facilitate the electrical connection of the pin terminals and circuit paths of the board. An example of the latter configuration may be found in Mancini, U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,750 issued Aug. 24, 1971. Because of the electrical interface formed when pins are staked within plated through holes, it is usually unnecessary to solder the pins to the board circuitry.
In certain applications, it is desirable to replace pins which have been mounted in plated through holes. Thus, a popular pin terminal configuration is one which includes a compliant section receivable within the hole and having the capability of adjusting the pin to the size of the aperture without impairing the electrical and mechanical relationship between the pin and the plating. Exemplary terminals of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,356 to Tamburro issued Feb. 28, 1978, U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,326 to Lovendusky issued Jan. 3, 1978, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,353 to Cobaugh, et al., issued Dec. 7, 1982, all of which are directed to terminal configurations having a compliant section which essentially conforms to the size of the board aperture.
Known terminals having so called compliant sections suffer from a number of disadvantages, particularly where it is desired that the terminal be alternately inserted into and withdrawn from the board aperture over a number of cycles. Many conventional compliant terminal configurations tend to skive out or remove the plating which has been provided in the board aperture, thereby degrading the electrical interface between the terminal and the board. When this occurs to certain proportions, the board can be rendered completely, or practically, useless. The servicing of electrical equipment having circuit boards so affected can involve considerable expense. Other terminal configurations which exhibit improved cyclability characteristics have insufficient ability to withstand retrograde withdrawal forces, and can become dissociated from the circuit board during normal use. There is also a need for a simple, economic means for mass inserting compliant terminals in printed circuit boards where a plurality of connections to the board are desired.